The Philippines saw fewer Filipinos take the leap into solo entrepreneurship in 2025, as new business name registrations slid 15 percent to 879,304, down from 938,681 a year earlier.
Data from the Department of Trade and Industry’s Business Name Registration System suggest a cooling appetite for starting fresh ventures, even as business name registration remains the first—and most basic—step toward operating legally.
The pullback came despite only a modest 4 percent decline in total registrations, including renewals, which reached 1.016 million last year. Renewals themselves rose 11 percent to 137,053, hinting that while fewer people are starting businesses, those already in the game are choosing to stay.
That contrast paints a picture of caution rather than collapse: survival is taking precedence over expansion.
Wholesale and retail trade continued to dominate as the go-to sector, accounting for 465,592 registrations, though even this mainstay saw a 9 percent drop.
Accommodation followed with 126,299 registrations, also lower year on year.
Manufacturing, real estate, and transportation and storage rounded out the top five, underscoring a tilt toward practical, demand-driven industries rather than high-risk bets.
Regionally, Calabarzon led new registrations with 191,163, reflecting its role as a growth corridor just outside Metro Manila, which ranked second. The geography suggests entrepreneurship remains strongest where population growth, logistics access, and industrial activity intersect.
One clear bright spot was digitalization. A striking 86 percent of all new and renewed registrations—877,235 in total—were processed online, reinforcing the steady shift toward faster, lower-friction government services.
Women also continued to anchor the country’s entrepreneurial base, accounting for 60 percent of registrations.
Taken together, the numbers point to a more selective, risk-aware entrepreneurial climate—less about starting anew, more about sustaining what already works.
